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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTen-year-old Mia Tang and her parents have just moved from China to California, where they take jobs managing the Calivista Motel in Anaheim, just five miles from Disneyland. Mia quickly takes charge of the front desk, checking in customers and solving problems on her own, while her parents clean the rooms around the clock for a boss who keeps changing the rules and cutting their pay. But life at the motel is about more than a bad boss. Mia is starting fifth grade as the new kid, barely getting by on secondhand clothes, and secretly dreaming of entering a contest to win a motel of her own. Between the guests who become like family, a friend named Lupe who understands exactly what it means to be an immigrant kid, and the letters Mia writes to fix problems nobody else will touch, this is a story about one girl who refuses to accept that things cannot change.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Front Desk
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Front Desk. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a girl lie about having a golden retriever on her first day at a new school?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
When Jason shoots her a warning look, Mia panics and says she lives in a normal house with a golden retriever. Lupe claims to have one too, and the two build a friendship on shared fibs before later coming clean.
- First half
In what book does a father say, "You're my special penny"?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
While searching for rare coins at the lake, Mia's dad tells her that a mistake is not always a mistake. Sometimes it is an opportunity. When Mia asks if he would still have come to America, he says yes, because she is his special penny.
- First half
In what book does a nail salon worker fix a mother's ruined fingernails with lemon and baking soda?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Aunt Ling, who worked at a nail salon in Irvine, insists on seeing Mia's mom's nails, which have turned yellow and rough from cleaning chemicals. She soaks them in baking soda, scrubs them with lemon, and finishes with glossy red polish. Mia's mom is overjoyed.
- Second half
In what book do long-term motel guests wrap themselves in toilet paper as mummy costumes for Halloween?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
The weeklies at the Calivista surprise Mia by showing up wrapped in toilet paper so she can go trick-or-treating. In Front Desk, this is a touching moment because Mia never expected to celebrate Halloween, and Mrs. Q, Hank, Billy Bob, Fred, and Mrs. T make it happen.
- Second half
In what book does a doctor argue with a hospital supervisor to waive fees for an injured immigrant family?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
The supervisor insists Mia's family doesn't qualify for free care because they have free rent. But the doctor is outraged and fights on their behalf. In Front Desk, this moment restores the family's faith that there are kind people in America.
- Near the end
In what book does a girl tell a bully, "You don't have to be your father"?
✓ Answer
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
After pulling Jason out of class, Mia says this quiet but powerful line to get him to stop tormenting Ms. Morgan. In Front Desk, these words hit hard because both Mia and Jason know exactly what kind of person Mr. Yao is. Jason doesn't say a word, but he stops being mean.
